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Double-murderer jailed for life

A hotel receptionist, who murdered two of his colleagues and then hid at the murder scene while police and pathologists investigated, has been handed two life sentences.

It comes after Attila Ban, 32, was found guilty of two counts of murder at the Old Bailey last month.

He killed fellow receptionists Tibor Vass and Alice Adams, both 20, at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel at Heathrow Airport in August last year. Their bodies were found in Ban's staff accommodation where, unbeknownst to pathologists and crime scene investigators, Ban himself was still hiding. He evaded police for two days, by crawling into the divan bed, on which he had lain Mr Vass's body.

He climbed out after the bodies were moved, and made an unsuccessful suicide bid before he was found.

Victims Tibor Vass and Alice Adams. Credit: Metropolitan Police.

It's understood that Ban had developed a crush on Mr Vass and was devastated when his feelings were not returned, despite the fact that Mr Vass was heterosexual.

Police were called out to the hotel after the three receptionists failed to turn up to work - and Ban updated his Facebook page with the message "I would like to wake up from this nightmare".

They found Mr Vass naked on the double bed with two stab wounds. Miss Adams had been stabbed 22 times and left, dressed, on the living-room floor.

The divan where Ban was hiding. Credit: Metropolitan Police.

Detective Inspector John Finch said police were not negligent in not looking under the bed.

He said: "I have looked back at this several times with senior management. It was such a strange and bizarre thing for a person to do. It beggars belief."

He said crime scene examiners would lose crucial forensic evidence if they lifted up beds looking for people who were not there.

Mr Finch added: "I would not want anyone to do anything differently in the future."